I put in just shy of 12 years at the record store. That’s a lot of time to work retail. If you’ve worked retail, you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, it has its ups and downs. The ups include discounts. The downs entail being abused by the general public on a daily basis.
I have a nice plaque around here somewhere, commemorating 7 years at the store. It was a pretty cool gift. It was a total surprise, how it happened. My boss phoned me out of the blue one day.
“Mike,” he said. “I need a list of the top 5 albums of all time. It’s for an article we’re doing.”
“Cool!” I responded eagerly. “But what are the parameters? Is it like rock, or all genres? Because that’s just a wide-open question.”
“Just what you think are the top albums of all time, that’s all I really need.”
Cool! I started work on it. I wanted to be objective, fair. If I were making a personalized list of a top 5, it would be easy, I know there would be some Kiss and Sabbath in there. I wanted to discount my own personal biases and try to be as open as possible for this particular list.
First of all, I chose The Wall. I admit that I chose this over Dark Side due to personal preference, also I think a double album like The Wall deserves many accolades. I obviously had to give respect to two of the greatest bands of all time, Led Zeppelin and The Beatles. I chose Zeppelin IV and Abbey Road. I really couldn’t choose a Zeppelin, so I went with IV as kind of a default answer. Abbey Road is arguably the most genius the Beatles ever were, so I could easily choose that over Sgt. Pepper’s.
OK, three down! Even though all three artists I chose were different from each other, they were all rock, so I needed to go outside that box. To represent country, I decided on Folson Prison by Johnny Cash. Were this a more personalized list, I would choose San Quentin, but I went with Folsom as it seems to be the best known.
I didn’t know what to pick last, so I went with a cop-out answer. Back In Black. What a weak, spineless choice! What am I a college student? Anyway, again I decided to be open and think about how many copies it sold, not about the many superior AC/DC albums.
I submitted my list. A month or two later, I was presented with this plaque! And these five albums were on the plaque! My boss had collected lists from a few of us who had been there a while, and given us custom made plaques, with the CDs and everything. It was really cool and I treasured mine for years.
I only wish he had worded his question differently! If I had known in advance what he was really asking (thus spoiling the surprise) I would have chosen these five:
5. Iron Maiden – Piece of Mind
4. Kiss – Alive
3. Kiss – Hotter Than Hell
2. Deep Purple – Fireball
1. Black Sabbath – Born Again
The original plaque is packed up in a box, as Mrs. LeBrain and I are planning a move to a bigger place. Here’s the five albums that made it onto the plaque though, at least all albums I proudly own. And because I don’t do anything small, I own them all in some kind of crazy deluxe box set. Enjoy.
This was a gift from Mrs. LeBrain. Johnny Cash, the Man in Black! This figure, from 2005, captures a younger, tougher Johnny. I love the little details like the nylon guitar strings, and the gold dots on his necktie. Not much articulation here, so this one has some very limited poses. He does come with a nice, detailed railroad track figure stand.
JOHNNY CASH – American VI: Ain’t No Grave (2010 American Recordings)
Seven years after Johnny Cash passed, Rick Rubin released American VI: Ain’t No Grave. It is billed as the “final Johnny Cash studio album”. Listening to it is simply an awesome experience. It’s one of the finest of Johnny’s American Recordings. I think my favourite is American IV: The Man Comes Around, but American VI is a contender.
Beginning with the dark, powerful “Ain’t No Grave”, Johnny is defiant. He does not fear death. “Ain’t No Grave” has more accompaniment than most of the tracks on this album, which are adorned only by the odd piano keys, steel guitar, or rhythm. Johnny’s voice is weak, yet that baritone is still so defiantly powerful. Even in illness, Johnny refused to stop making music, his aching voice a shadow of what it once was. Yet even that aching voice stirs powerful emotions through the music. Only Johnny could sing these songs the way he did.
Mortality is a common theme. Other highlights for this listener included:
“Redemption Day”, a track written by Sheryl Crow and an upbeat number.
Kris Kristofferson’s “For the Good Times”, lush with acoustic guitars.
“I Corinthians 15:55”, Johnny’s sole writing credit, taken from the Bible. Truly an inspiration. Johnny’s faith kept him going in those last days.
“Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream”, a song about a dream of world peace. Maybe Johnny was also imagining the place he thought he’d be after death took him.
“Aloha Oe”, an upbeat Hawiian melody, ending the album with the haunting words, “Someday, we’ll meet again”.
I know Rick Rubin lovingly produced these final six Johnny Cash albums, befriending the man and earning his trust. Knowing that, I trust that Rubin finished these songs the way that Johnny would have wanted them to sound. Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench from the Heartbreakers are among the musicians involved.
I do love what Rubin did with the packaging. A picture of Johnny as a boy on the front, a ghostly Johnny gazing through a window on the back, no song list on the cover. Inside is a booklet with a copy of Johnny’s handwritten lyrics to “I Corinthians 15:55”, a really cool touch. No liner notes. Rubin lets the music speak for itself.
All of the American recordings (which also included the fine box set Cash Unearthed, and 1998’s live VH1 Storytellers with Willie Nelson) will go down in history as some of the most important country recordings of our lifetimes. Personally I cannot think of another artist in any genre who was so prolific in his or her last days. The fact that these final recordings are so diverse, so strong, and so powerful are a testament to the Man in Black.
Most of the stuff I picked this year was too obscure. Stuff like “The Cut Runs Deep” by Deep Purple. “The Hockey Theme” by Neil Peart. “Wall of Sound” by Kiss.
I did however vote for the Countdown’s #1 song, “Toronto Tontos” by Max Webster. It was 33rd on my list, but six people also picked it, putting it at the #1 spot on Saturday night.
Four picks from my top 20 made the countdown: “Die Young”, “Zero the Hero”, “Caught Somewhere in Time”, and “Breadfan”!
So, here were my top 20 picks. Tomorrow, I will post the entire Countdown! Stay tuned…
JOHNNY CASH – American IV: The Man Comes Around (2003 American)
I have published over 300 reviews here at mikeladano.com (use the search button on the top right to look up anything you want). Yet, I still hadn’t got around to Johnny Cash! That’s strange, because Johnny Cash is very special to me.
Everybody “says” they love Johnny Cash. Many of them jumped on board when he died and became “cool” again. Take Dandy, for example, a trend chaser who inked Johnny’s face on his arm a few months after he died. But hey, if you’re on board now, that’s cool. There’s plenty of room for everyone.
Johnny Cash was my first concert. In Canada in the early 1980’s, Johnny had an endorsement deal with Canada Trust, where my dad worked. Their brand new ATM machines were called Johnny Cash machines, and my dad even had some promotional Johnny Cash bills, a cool marketing gimmick. He went to see Johnny, his idol, when Johnny came to town. The first night of a two-nighter, my dad met him. On the second night, he brought me along (I didn’t get to meet him). Johnny modified his original concert opening by saying, “I’m Johnny Cash, 24 hour money machine” (in reference to the ATMs). I still remember June kicking off her shoes!
The Man Comes Around is my favourite of the American Recordings, helmed by Rick Rubin. It was also the last one released in Johnny’s lifetime. It is, all at once, extremely powerful, morose, joyful, and catchy. All filtered through Johnny’s unmistakable baritone, worn and weary but no less strong and expressive. Like other American albums, it is a mixture of originals and covers, oldies and more recent fare.
The most well-known song on American IV was “Hurt”, the Nine Inch Nails cover. It is remarkable by being so different, yet true to the spirit of the original. I prefer Johnny’s take on it to Trent’s, truthfully. “Hurt” is only one of many remarkable covers on this album. Johnny and Fiona Apple tend “Bridge Over Troubled Water”, with quiet mellotron in the background.
My favourite song is Sting’s “I Hung My Head”. I couldn’t believe the credits when I read that (having skipped Sting’s Mercury Falling album). I thought for certain this had to be a new Cash original. Lyrically, I was convinced this tragic tale came from the mind of the Man in Black, but I was wrong. It’s a spellbinding song, painting a clear picture, and Johnny’s delivery is perfect.
“In My Life” is the favourite of Mrs. LeBrain. She’s a huge Beatles fan. We selected this song for the signing of the register at our wedding. I received kudos on the musical selection from Tom Morwood and Jen’s Uncle Rick, who loved the Johnny. While very different from the Beatles version, I think I can safely say I like both equally.
I’m not too keen on the Depeche Mode cover (“Personal Jesus”), but I don’t like Depeche Mode much. I know some who think the cover is brilliant, so we’ll go with that. Johnny and Rubin tranform the song into a dark acoustic stomp.
Other highlights include the classic “Sam Hall”, which Johnny also performed on his 1965 album, Johnny Cash Sings Ballads of the True West. I love Johnny’s energetic delivery on this traditional. We enjoyed this one at the record store, a lot. “Danny Boy” is another from 1965 (Orange Blossom Special) that Johnny takes a second crack at. This time it’s a more intimate affair without the backing vocals. Johnny compensates with his rich storyteller’s voice, each flaw telling a story of its own.
Elsewhere, I love “Desperado”. And that’s interesting because like the Dude, I hate the fuckin’ Eagles.
The album closes with “We’ll Meet Again”, the Vera Lynn classic. I always think of Kubrick (Dr. Strangelove) when I hear this song. So for me, I can hear a sly wink in “We’ll Meet Again”, a hint of humour, as if Johnny knew this would be the last song on the last album released in his lifetime.
But it’s not really the last song. On my wishlist is the vinyl edition, which had two bonus tracks: Marty Robbins’ “Big Iron” (another personal favourite) and an exclusive version of “Wichita Lineman”.
My copy of the album came with a bonus DVD. Nothing to get excited about, it’s just the music video for “Hurt”. Granted that’s a great video, but the DVD is less special in 2013 than it was in 2003. Now, everybody Youtubes.
And make no mistake, Meat wrote every word. No messing around from me. Enjoy!
PET SOUNDS– THE BEACH BOYS (1966)
When The Beatles released Rubber Soul in 1965, Brian Wilson heard something that inspired him to try and make his own masterpiece. The result was Pet Sounds, which saw The Beach Boys discard their typical surf-inspired ditties and create an album that will always be a classic. I remember when I first heard this album I was completely blown away that it was a 1966 album. The overall sound of it is so full and rich, and it’s funny how everyone thinks The Beatles main influence for Sgt. Peppers was drug-related, and I am sure it was, but that classic would never have been without this classic album first. Do yourself a favour and re-discover The Beach Boys by checking this out.
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE – QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE (1998)
There are a lot of people that think that the QOTSA album Rated R, is the band’s first release. In all reality it is their third release if you count the Kyuss/Queens of the Stone Age EP. However, it is a shame that this album has been somewhat overlooked. I think it is by far their best album. To gauge just how much I got into this album could never be measured. For years, I stated that this album was my favorite album ever with distortion. Now trust me I realize the exaggeration in that statement (I have since relented) but it doesn’t take away how brilliant I believe this album truly is. This is a true collection of groovy rock songs, so much so that QOTSA could have titled this album exactly that. I have not been a fan of the last few QOTSA albums, and frankly I wish they could harness this approach once again. Check out the included track “Avon”. An absolute air-drumming seminar at its finest!!
ROXY & ELSEWHERE – FRANK ZAPPA & THE MOTHERS (1974)
One of the albums previously on this list, Joe Jackson’s Big World, was a live album containing new material. Considering the content of this particular album, that format was never more impressive or more challenging than Zappa’s album Roxy & Elsewhere. From beginning to end, it’s hard to believe the complexity of what was happening onstage during these recordings. From the colourful vocals of Napoleon Murphy Brock, to the guitar-fueled madness of Zappa himself, this is my personal favorite of all of Zappa’s recordings. Songs like “Pygmy Twilite” and “Village of the Sun” are absolute genius. The concert film of these recordings is STILL in limbo for whatever reason. Included is a clip of the song “Montana”, recorded during these sessions but not included on the album itself.
SCENES FROM A MEMORY-METROPOLIS 2 – DREAM THEATER (1999)
I simply couldn’t do a list like this without including Dream Theater. I like heavy music and I like progressive music. This band combines those two qualities perhaps better than any band ever has, and on this album its done to perfection. This is your classic “concept album” and tells an interesting story that needs to be experienced. But the true experience of this album is that it is a piece of song-writing and musical brilliance. If you have seen Rush’s biopic Beyond The Lighted Stage, you might recognize the now-familiar voice of long-time Rush producer Terry Brown (who also produced the vocals on this album). The album sees John Petrucci and Mike Portnoy at their monster best and requires many listens to truly appreciate. I am not a “Rolling Stone” magazine guy myself, but it does say something that in 2012 they named this album as the Number One all-time progressive album, beating out Rush’s 2112and Yes’s Close to The Edge.
THE ACTION IS GO – FU MANCHU (1997)
This album starts off with a bang, it also ends with a bang and actually this album is just one big resounding rhythmic bang. After a few good, but not great albums (in my opinion), new drummer Brant Bjork was brought into Fu Manchu. This would result in one of the greatest “Stoner-Rock” albums of all time. This is literally the perfect driving album. Sometimes you find yourself emulating driving just sitting and listening to it. You can hear a huge Sabbath influence on this album, at least in the sound of the instruments and the driving low end. Sometimes the vocals can leave a bit to be desired, but it is not really singing in the first place. Almost sounds like a dude talkin’ to himself, which adds to the coolness of this album. One of my favorite albums of the 1990’s indeed.
WELCOME TO SKY VALLEY – KYUSS (1994)
Somewhere around early 1995, I walked into a Sunrise Records where Tom (Tom has been mentioned many times in Mike’s blogs) was working. At this point Tom and I only really knew each other from local concerts we would run into each other at. The second I walked in he begged me to check out this Kyuss album on the listening station. I remember the look on his face when I didn’t instantly “get it”. Years later I had to bow to him and thank him for trying to open my eyes earlier. No one knows how to set a mood quite like Kyuss. The last album listed was Brant Bjork’s first album with Fu Manchu. This album is the last Kyuss album featuring Brant Bjork on drums. No coincidence here. This man knows how to wash songs with a subtle intensity. Check out the song “Demon Cleaner” sometime, with Josh Homme singing and see how Queens of the Stone Age were born. This album has been listed as a major influence for many of the heavy metal greats of the day.
WHALE MUSIC – THE RHEOSTATICS (1994)
The Rheostatics are definitely one of my favorite bands of all time, and the artist I have seen live the most in my life. Any band that calls their first album Greatest Hits obviously has a good sense of humour. There really is no album that quite captures “Canadiana” quite like Whale Music. Not to be confused with the later-released official soundtrack of the same name, this album ranges from the sweet to the insane. Take the song “Queer” for example. “Well the screen door is still broken, since you kicked your Kodiaks through it” and “I scored a hat trick on the team that called you a fuckin’ queer”, are lyrics that paint a Canadian portrait of everyday life. I love this album and frequently re-visit it only to find it gets better with age. Notable appearances on this album are Neil Peart on a song called “Guns” and The Barenaked Ladies (credited as The Scarborough Naked Youth Choir). Included here is the amazing opening track. Check it out eh ….
WHITE PEPPER – WEEN (2000)
Simply put, this is my favorite “Pop” album of all time. I am not a Ween fan per se. I cannot say I have actually connected strongly with any of their other albums. But when this album was introduced to me, it grabbed a hold of me and it will never let go. First of all, the sound on this album is absolutely wonderful. Second of all, the melodies on this album (with sprinkles of Ween weirdness of course) are something very reminiscent of The Beatles. I have always tagged this album as their “Beatles tribute”, and it was pointed out to me by a friend that “The White Album? Sgt. Peppers? White Pepper?”. Now I have not read that in fact that is what the name truly means, but I think that is a very good guess. I have played this album for a few musician friends of mine and the result is pretty much the same across the board. White Pepper simply “hooks” you in, it is that simple. Check out the Trey Parker and Matt Stone directed video for “Even If You Don’t” included here.
UNCHAINED – JOHNNY CASH (1996)
I was working at the “Record Store Chain” Ladano blogs about when I was first introduced to this album. It was instantly a revelation of what I do actually like about Country Music, and was the reason I became a fan of the older-style albums of the genre. Not enough can be said about the genius of Rick Rubin. The man who changed the careers of Slayer, The Beastie Boys and the Red Hot Chili Peppers got a hold of Johnny Cash and re-introduced him as the icon he always was. Hiring Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers as the backing band for the second American Recordings Johnny Cash release was a stroke of brilliance. The opening track “Rowboat” sees Cash cover a Beck song and make it his own. “Sea of Heartbreak” is a melodic ass-kicker. Everyone by now knows of the genius cover of Soundgarden’s “Rusty Cage”, so good in fact that for a long period of time Chris Cornell refused to play it live stating “It’s not our song anymore. It’s Johnny’s now”. No album of this genre has ever sounded bigger, if not any genre. A must have album.
VS. – PEARL JAM (1993)
This album had to be included on this list. I understand that everyone looks at Pearl Jam’s first album as this massive crowning achievement, but frankly I didn’t get it then and I really still don’t. Their second album I think is the best album of their career and probably my favorite “Grunge” album ever. Every song on this album is a classic to me and it does seem weird to call an album that was a Number One album on Billboard for five weeks straight “underrated”. But I truly do feel this album gets overlooked and that’s a shame. I find Ten to be kind of boring and redundant to be honest. This album is still fresh to me. I hope when it’s all said and done that this album is what truly defines them.
RECORD STORE TALES PART 111: The Girl In the Sam Roberts Shirt
Saturday, Sept. 17, 2005. I had a rare Saturday off, and I wasn’t wasting it.
I was single, and interested in a couple different girls. First there was Mel. She was a nice but just always in a hurry. She drove like a maniac and for her it was all rush-rush-rush. We had a “date” that Saturday morning. We were heading to St. Jacobs to go to the market.
Well, this wasn’t the kind of market excursion I was used to. She was rushing from vendor to vendor, getting what she needed, with no time to look around! I had a couple things I wanted to buy and she paced and tapped her toes waiting as I looked. It wasn’t comfortable. I ended up buying some T-shirts (Bob Marley and Slash) and a Lego set. The Lego set, the Ultimate Collector’s Series Y-Wing fighter, was $200. She wanted to pay for it. That creeped me out a bit, considering I barely knew this girl. I said no. And that was basically it. She drove me home, and that was all. No sparks, just the creeps.
Before I went on my date with Mel, I was up all night talking to Jen. Jen was from Brampton. She was a hockey loving Christian who also liked Johnny Cash and Nirvana. I didn’t even sleep that night, we were on the phone until daylight. I said to Jen, “I have this date with this Mel girl in a few hours. But I don’t even really want to go.” In a way I was relieved that the “date” didn’t go well. I wasn’t into it, and even though she was a hockey-loving Christian, and I hadn’t been to church in almost 20 years, I had a much better connection with Jen.
I spent Saturday putting together my Lego set. It actually took me all week to finish. It was massive.
Sunday the 18th I had to work. I grew to hate working Sundays. I don’t remember anything about that work day at all — maybe I’ve blocked it out? Jen recalls a little bit. She remembers me telling her that I was having a shitty day at the store. Sundays were usually pretty busy right from the get-go, and Sundays we were usually inundated with jerk knobs and dipsticks. It wasn’t a great part of town to work in. We attracted a high ratio of customers that did not carry any kind of currency, but needed to kill time listening to music at a CD store.
“Hey!” she said. “Are you doing anything tonight?”
“Well, nothing I can’t cancel,” I said. “Why?”
“Do you want to come down to Brampton and hang out?”
Sure! I was down for that. She gave me the directions, and I hopped in my green Dodge Neon and hit the highway.
I pulled into the driveway, and a blonde girl wearing a Sam Roberts T-shirt, with the bluest eyes I’d ever seen was waiting for me. She smiled a smile that lit up the whole day. I was wearing the Marley shirt that I bought the day before. The night flew by. We went to a park and played on the swings. We went to Sonny’s, and had some of their legendary poutine, and probably the best cheeseburger I’ve ever had in my life. The night flew by.
I had to work Monday morning, as usual. I left Brampton around 9 so I could get home and get to bed at a decent hour. As I drove down Dixie Road towards Highway 401, I said to myself, “That girl is special. Whatever you do, you have to make sure she doesn’t get hurt. She’s different than the others you’ve met.”
And she was. And 3 years later, Jen became Mrs. LeBrain.
I had one really, really awful summer at the store. My full-time backup had quit, and head office made the decision not to hire a replacement until the Christmas gear-up season. Instead, they decided to spread out the part-timers to cover the hours. They were always eager for hours, but not necessarily weekend hours!
I was required to work two Saturdays a month anyway. That summer, I had to pull a lot more than that. Saturdays, Sundays, the odd 12 hour shifts…I didn’t get to the cottage very much that summer. Allegedly, one head office staffer was overheard saying to another, “It’s going to be funny watching Mike try to work all summer without a full-timer.” Good to know they had my back.
I was furious. But I was also defeated.
I had one weekend booked off in July. I couldn’t miss that weekend. My grandma’s 80th birthday party was that weekend. There was no way in hell that I was going to miss my grandma’s 80th birthday party. It was a 2 hour drive away, in Kincardine Ontario. I only have one grandma (88 this year!), but wouldn’t you know it? Nothing ever went smooth for me….
I had a date the previous night (Friday), with this girl who was originally from Thunder Bay. We went out and we had a nice meal followed by a night of drinks. I woke up slightly hungover, but eager to hit the lake, and say hi to grandma. Then, my phone rang. Not a good sign.
My least reliable employee, Wiseman, was calling in sick. The truth was more likely that he was calling in wasted. Somebody had to get the hell over there and cover him. And that someone was me.
I pulled in, unshowered, unshaven, and pissed off. I had never been so mad at Wiseman in my life. It was becoming a far, far too regular occurrence that he was always “sick”, and someone had to cover for him. You can’t expect every part time employee to give up their Saturday plans and work on no notice, but a manager had to.
To her credit, there was one head office person on duty that weekend, and she came in to take over. I will always be grateful to that person for covering me on my grandma’s 80th birthday weekend. If memory serves, my great aunt Marie, her sister, made it that weekend too. I think that was the last time I ever saw her, she passed away not too long after.
My relationship with head office people was rocky to say the least, especially after that “It’s going to be funny watching Mike try to work all summer…” crack. But she did cover me when I needed it. I won’t forget that, and I’ll always be grateful.
The rest of the summer was what it was, weekend after weekend of working, the same grind and drudgery. The musical light in the tunnel that summer was the release of Marillion’s double Marbles CD. It is my favourite Hogarth-era Marillion to this day, and when I received it that summer, it got me through. We didn’t carry it in stock in our store, but it was in my car, and on my home player, all summer. It brightened the mood, it kept me going, waking me up in the morning and getting me out the door. The Summer of Hell’s bright spot was Marillion, and my grandma.
I would like to dedicate this installment of the Record Store Tales to that one head office person who stepped up and covered for me that day. We had many knock-down-drag-out arguments over the years, and I’m sure that her side of many events differ from mine. Regardless, if it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t have been present for my grandma’s 80th, and for that I owe her a debt of gratitude.
Hey folks, Statham here. You’re looking good. Now, sit down and let me tell you a story, it’s a good one.
Last night, I had a dream. One I think you need to hear about, in the context of Mike’s blog. You see, I dreamt that Mike and I opened a record store together. It seems, for the convenience of making things happen, that I had won the lottery again. (I say again because, c’mon, it’s like having won the lottery just being fortunate enough to be me every day of the week). Anyway. The oodles of money secured the financial end of things, thus freeing us up to be creative in the endeavour.
There were a lot of naysayers. Oh boohoo, physical media is dying (if not dead), this would have been great 15 years ago, blah blah blah. Yeah well, alot people would shoot down anything anyone else wanted to do because they are lazy, needy, selfish and generally dumb. If it had been them in our shoes, they’d want us to be gushing with praise for their initiative, and they’d want us to be giving them doggie treats for being so good and clever. Anyway, we didn’t listen to any of these peoples’ negativity and they soon went away. Relief!
To his credit, Mike was onboard right away. Somehow he was still working his current job too, but also able to be at the shop all the time. Now, we all know Mike is amazing, but he really was breaking the laws of physics, here. Ah, dream-time. It makes no sense, but is the more awesome for it.
So. Being of means, we found that the organization, construction and founding of the shop was just a matter of planning and patience, but it went together very quickly. I have no idea what town we were in when all this was happening, but it hardly matters. Somehow, when the contractors were done, not only was the shop beautiful, bright and spacious, but all the shelves were jammed full of well-organized and thoughtfully chosen CDs, DVDs and games, too. I tell you, I’d really recommend those contractors to you. They were very thorough.
It wasn’t long before our doors were open, and business really started to take off. With Mike’s knowledge and my enthusiasm, it turned out to be a really worthwhile venture. People responded well to our humour, easy-going sales patter that wasn’t like sales-talk at all and, of course, our dashing good looks. It was a winner.
I don’t have a whole lot of specifics for you, just this sense I had that it was a good thing. And that’s all I remember of that dream, in a nutshell.
ANALYSIS:
Well, clearly, all of Mike’s Record Store Tales have entered into my subconscious and activated the part of my brain that has always believed I’d like to work in a record store. Not the one Mike used to work for, from the sounds of it (even though at one point I did apply there), but still. I’ve spent enough time in record shops, so it seemed a natural enough thing to do.
And Freud would probably say this was somehow about my penis. Because everyone dreams about that, surely.
To be continued…
If you haven’t figured it out from past Statham stories, he’s Snake Eyes. I’m the Crimson Guard.
There was never a guarantee that you were going to get a long weekend off. But when you did, and the temperature was above 12 degrees, you went to the cottage!
Going to the cottage, in the era when I only had a cassette deck in the car, meant picking out the best “road tapes” for the mood. Depending on the time of day (some music works best on evening drives), my favourites for the cottage were these:
SLOAN: 4 Nights at the Palais Royale
From driveway to driveway, this album is exactly the length of the drive! Plus it’s one of my top five live albums of all time. Day or night, this was my #1 pick.
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE: Songs for the Deaf
It’s pretty much designed for a road trip, but it also just captures that vibe of the long highways at night, and serves to keep you awake! This was a night drive album.
BLUE RODEO: Tremelo
Also a night album. Very mellow, for those laid back cottage weekends.
THE BEATLES: The Beatles (the White Album)
I don’t always listen to the Beatles. But when I do, I prefer the White Album.
JOHNNY CASH: At San Quentin
My favourite Cash album of all time. Of all time! This was great for the weekends that I drove my grandma up. I have it in box set form now, so it’s a real nice extended treat today.
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